


Progression

by froxyn



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, s7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:13:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27159137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froxyn/pseuds/froxyn
Summary: Dinner, Zinfandel, rain…progression is inevitable.
Relationships: Rupert Giles/Buffy Summers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	Progression

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you, A.

“Thanks for dinner, you didn’t have to do that.” Buffy said, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets as she walked beside him.

Giles looked down at her, the umbrella held in his left hand and his right hand in the pocket of his trousers. “I asked you to dinner.”

“Yeah, but…that was a _nice_ dinner.” She shrugged and glanced up at him. “I kinda wasn’t expecting that.”

“You don’t deserve a nice dinner?” He asked, genuinely perplexed.

“Not _that_ nice.” 

“Well, I had fancied on taking you to the Doublemeat Palace, but they’re currently closed for refurbishment.” He smiled as she laughed softly. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this…dinner and a movie seems incredibly dated now.”

“Classic, not dated.” She sighed as she looked towards the cinema. “But, Sunnydale isn’t really known for bringing in the blockbusters and I really have no desire to watch some disaster movie.”

“You’re not going to suggest The Bronze, are you?” Giles asked warily, shifting the umbrella as the angle of the rain changed.

Buffy laughed brightly and shook her head. “No. Even I’m not the biggest fan of The Bronze these days.”

He nodded slowly and looked around. “Then what _would_ you suggest?”

“A new wine bar opened up on Church Lane a few weeks ago.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “You want me to take you to a bar?”

“A _wine_ bar. Quiet, nice atmosphere, no rain…” She tilted her head slightly. “A nice bottle of wine and conversation with you. I just want things to be quiet for a little while. Because I’m sure that things will get really noisy later.”

When his eyes widened slightly, she blushed.

“I mean…with the impending apocalypse and everything.”

A small smile played on his lips as he nodded. “Yes, well…Church Lane, then?”

“Yeah.” She returned his smile, changing direction towards their new destination. 

He readjusted the umbrella again and moved closer to her to ensure that she was protected from the downpour.

At least that’s what he told himself.

* * * 

“Do you know a lot about wine?” Buffy asked, watching Giles fill their glasses.

He shrugged, placing the bottle to the side and lifting his glass. “I know what I like. I find when picking a wine, that would be the best thing to go with – what you like.”

Buffy lifted her glass and gently clinked it against his. “I’ve never really liked red wine that much…”

He smiled softly before taking a sip from his glass. “Zinfandel during a heavy rain is a lovely thing. However, if you don’t like it, I’m more than happy to get a different bottle.”

He watched her as she took a sip and then considered it carefully. When she looked at him and smiled, he leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room. It wasn’t very busy…he supposed that was in part due to the weather and the fact that it was a fairly new establishment. He took another sip and met her eyes.

“This was a lovely idea.”

She nodded, lowering her glass. “I was wondering if you were ever going to actually ask me out.”

“Hm?” He murmured, resting his glass on his thigh. 

“I was beginning to think that it was just…a making out thing for you.”

“I do enjoy making out with you.” He stated quietly, pausing before continuing. “I wondered the same – which is why it took me so long to ask. I…didn’t want to presume. But, then I realised that I actually wanted it to be more…and it was never going to be if we were just making out when we have a few moments alone.”

“More?” She asked, holding her wine glass between both hands.

He stared into her eyes as he took a large sip of his wine. She bit her bottom lip gently, shifting uncomfortably in her chair as she watched him. He swallowed, lowering his glass as he nodded.

“Yes.”

His simple, one word answer nearly caused her to tremble. She licked her lips and placed her glass on the table.

“Did you ask me out to get me into your bed?”

“That wasn’t my intention.” He replied without hesitation, not lowering his eyes from her gaze. “I want this…what we’re doing…to develop, to progress. I wasn’t necessarily proposing us falling into bed with one another.” He paused, a playful smile barely noticeable on his lips. “I’m not opposed either.”

“Giles…” She whispered.

“But, mostly…” He continued. “…I just want to spend time with you. In a setting that isn’t a cemetery or a hidden corner somewhere.”

“Should we talk about Spike?” She asked suddenly, seemingly apropos of nothing.

“I can’t think of anything I’d want to discuss less than Spike.” He replied, tilting his head slightly. “Why would you think we should?”

“I don’t know…because of what happened last year?”

“Are you still sleeping with him?” He asked softly, not lowering his eyes from hers.

She shook her head quickly. “No. That’s well and truly over. I just…it was Spike and – ”

“There’s no need to rehash things, Buffy. I wasn’t even in the country, you weren’t taking my calls – we weren’t in a good place. I can’t…and won’t…hold that against you.” 

“But…”

“Don’t.” He said, reaching over the table to take hold of her hand. “Let it go, Buffy. If you’re holding on to your past, we’re going to have a hell of a time moving forward.”

“The things I did – ”

“You seem to have a hard time grasping the concept of letting something go.” He gently squeezed her hand. “Do you think I’m proud of everything I’ve done in my life? Would you like me to list the absolute rubbish things I did when I was your age?”

“Did you – ”

He exhaled slowly. “Stop.”

She looked at him closely for a long moment and then nodded slowly. “Maybe it’s myself that I need to forgive then.”

He gently pulled his hand away from hers…but allowed his fingertips to linger against her skin. “Yes, you should.”

“I want to kiss you.” She said quietly, smiling as his jaw twitched. “But, I know that’s not your thing.”

“My…thing?” He asked, sitting back in his chair and wrapping his fingers around his wine glass. “I think kissing you is very much my thing.”

“In public.” She clarified, glancing around the room. “You know…with people around.”

“Where would you like to go?” He took a sip of his wine.

“Maybe for a walk?”

He glanced at the window, chuckling. “It’s still raining.”

“We have an umbrella…”

He quickly finished the rest of his wine and placed the empty glass on the table. He pushed the cork back into the bottle and stood up. “Have you ever watched a pond during a rainstorm?”

“A pond?”

He nodded, grabbing his umbrella as Buffy picked up the half full bottle of wine. “There’s one just the other side of Miller’s Woods.”

She furrowed her brow. “There’s a pond?”

He smiled brightly and gestured towards the door. “Let’s go.”

“How did I not know that there’s a pond near Miller’s Woods?” She asked, following him to the door.

He laughed softly. “Well, it is somewhat secluded. I only found it…”

His laughter ebbed as he trailed off. Buffy moved to his side and looked up at him. 

“Found it when?”

He hesitated for a moment and then took a deep breath before glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear him. 

“When I wandered off after we buried you.” He said quietly, his tone unable to hide the pain. “I was just…walking, wasn’t paying any attention as to where I was. And then suddenly, there was a pond in front of me. I, uh…spent a lot of time there before I left for England.”

“Oh…” She placed her hand on his back, her fingers offering comfort as they lightly rubbed against him. “Are you sure that’s where you want to go?”

“It was our place when you were gone. I’d like to share it with you now that we’re both here.” He replied with a gentle smile. “I mean, if you’d like.”

She nodded slowly. “Well, now that I know there’s a hidden pond in Sunnydale, I can’t _not_ see it. Especially if it’s _our_ place.”

“It’s beautiful. Like you.” 

They looked at each other for a moment and then he cleared his throat. As he turned to open the door, she quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes. By the time he had turned back to her, holding the door open for her, she was smiling brightly at him. 

A smile that he couldn’t help but return with a bright one of his own.

* * * 

They had just made their way back to his rental car when a large gust of wind rushed through. Giles felt an unusual pressure on the umbrella and looked up just as the canopy separated from the shaft. He stared in disbelief as the wind carried the canopy a few feet away. Buffy began to giggle at the look of bewilderment on his face. 

He shook his head, digging in his pocket for his car keys. “In all my years, I’ve never had that happen before. I liked this brolly too.”

Buffy’s giggle turned into full-blown laughter. He looked at her for a moment and then smiled. Her laughter quietened as he lifted his hand to her cheek. And then his lips were on hers, kissing her warmly. The rain was momentarily forgotten as the kiss deepened, the tip of his tongue touching hers. And then he felt her fingers in his hair, pressing against the back of his head…holding him closer as the kiss intensified further. 

Giles dropped the remaining part of his umbrella and the sound of metal hitting the concrete sidewalk startled him. He reluctantly pulled from the kiss and reached behind Buffy to grab the door handle. She smiled as he gently ushered her into the car, then watched him as he ran around to the driver’s side. She chuckled softly as he slid in behind the steering wheel.

“So, pond trip at a different time?” 

“Yes, I think so – considering we now have no umbrella.” He replied, laughing as he reached over and carefully brushed her wet hair from her face. “We’re a bit wet, it seems.”

“One of us more than the other.” She mumbled, blushing when he stared at her. “And…I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Obviously.”

“Buffy...” He started, pausing when she shifted closer to him. When she placed her hand on his chest, he sighed happily and leaned into her, reigniting their kiss.

He gasped as she moved her mouth to the side of his neck, her lips nipping at his skin. He swallowed as she kissed her way to his ear.

“We should go somewhere, Giles.” She murmured, flicking her tongue against his earlobe.

“Where?” He asked, his voice thick with desire.

“Your hotel room?” She replied without hesitation, humming softly as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I mean…if that’s okay?”

“Mm-hm.” He mumbled, sliding his hands down her back. 

When his fingers curled under the hem of her blouse, she pulled back. “Giles?”

“Hm?” 

“We should go. Kinda like now.” When he merely stared at her through slightly glazed eyes, she smiled. “We’re getting precariously close to the point of no return…”

“Precariously.” He echoed, his fingertips grazing along the skin of her lower back.

“Yeah…and I don’t want our first time together being in a car parked on Main Street, Sunnydale.” She whispered, pulling at a button on his shirt. “So…let’s go, okay?”

He nodded slowly, fingers lingering a moment longer before he exhaled a deep breath and pulled away. “Are you quite sure?”

She grinned, settling back in her seat and buckling her seat belt. “Quite.”

He returned her grin and slipped the key into the ignition.

* * * 

Buffy followed Giles into the elevator and smiled as she moved over to the control panel. “Four, right?”

Giles nodded and leaned against the wall. As the doors slid shut, he slipped his hands into his pockets and returned her smile. As she made a move to walk over to him, he shook his head.

“Why not?” She asked, a pout on her face.

“Because if you come over here that camera in the corner is going to capture more than I’d be comfortable with.” He replied, allowing his gaze to drop slightly.

She glanced at the display and sighed. “This must be the slowest elevator in California.”

“You’re sure about this?” He asked, lifting his eyes back up to hers.

“Are you having second thoughts?”

He shook his head slowly. “I want to make sure you’re not.”

She leaned back against the wall and licked her lips, then grinned at him. “You’re the one who stopped me from coming to you just a second ago, remember?”

Giles opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the soft bell signifying that they had reached the requested level. As the doors slid open, Giles pushed himself away from the wall and gestured towards the hallway.

“To the right.”

As they walked down the hallway together, Giles pulled his wallet out of his pocket. Buffy looked over at him curiously, then stood beside him when he stopped in front of the door that she supposed was his room. He pulled a keycard out of his wallet and she grinned.

“Ooh…fancy.”

He snorted softly. “Annoying, more like it. It works properly the first time maybe half the time.”

He slid it in and smiled as the lock clicked and he pushed the door open. She ran her hand along his abdomen as she walked through the doorway first. He breathed a sigh at the contact…the first physical contact they’d shared since leaving the car. 

It felt like it had been much longer than that.

He followed her in and closed the door behind them. As he took off his very wet jacket, he furrowed his brow. She tilted her head questioningly at him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Our clothes are fairly soaked.”

She nodded, kicking her shoes off and pushing them out of the way. “Yeah, that happens in a rainstorm when the umbrella gets blown away.”

“You…have nothing here. When I had the apartment, you always had a change of clothes stashed away.”

She smiled in understanding and walked over to the bathroom. She glanced in and gestured towards the ceiling. “There’s a heat lamp. I can hang them in here and they’ll be dry in no time.”

“They will?”

“One thing I learned years ago was to only wear clothes out at night that were easily cleaned or dried quickly.” She removed her earrings and placed them on the dresser next to his wallet. “Hazards of being the Slayer.”

He nodded absently. “Very practical.”

“Are you nervous?” She asked suddenly. “Because I’m nervous.”

“Yes.” He replied, allowing his eyes to drift down her body for a moment. “Among other things.”

He took two large steps to stand directly in front of her, lifting his hand to gently brush her damp hair from her shoulder. She placed her hands on his chest, taking a moment to feel his heart beat under her touch before sliding her right hand up to his shoulder and her left to his side. 

They moved at the same time, meeting one another halfway. As their lips touched, his arms moved around her. As her mouth parted beneath his, his fingers found the zipper on the back of her dress. And as her tongue slipped into his mouth, he groaned and pulled the zip down before pulling her tightly against him.

She moaned softly, feeling his hands move to her hips and squeeze gently. She moved her hands to his belt buckle, quickly pulling it free and unfastening his trousers. As she pulled his shirttail up and out of his trousers, he broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes.

She smiled and made quick work of the buttons of his shirt. She rolled her eyes playfully as she pushed it off his shoulders.

“So many layers…”

He reluctantly released his hold on her as she pushed his t-shirt up. When it dropped to the floor, she tentatively traced a scar marring his skin. She knew what caused that scar…she remembered the fear she felt as he was lying on a counter at an abandoned gas station on the outskirts of Sunnydale.

He pulled her hand away and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her palm. “I have many scars, Buffy.”

“I almost lost you that day.” She whispered.

“But, you didn’t.” He answered, toeing his shoes off and kicking them to the side. “And please…let’s not talk about loss or near loss right now.”

She nodded, her smile returning as she ran her fingers over the hair on his chest. It was softer than she had expected, a little darker than the hair on his head. She looked up at him, blushing lightly to find him grinning in amusement at her explorations.

“I’ve never actually been with anyone who had chest hair…which is odd. I mean, did they shave it or wax it or something? Because, you’d think that with _that_ much testosterone, there’d be chest hair.”

Giles laughed…a hearty laugh that rumbled in his chest. “Ah, Buffy…I do love how your mind works.”

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his skin just above his left nipple. Giles’ laughter quietened as her bottom lip grazed his nipple. She looked up at him, somewhat surprised to see that he wasn’t shielding his emotions from her. She could see everything in his eyes…apprehension, excitement, desire…and love. Something she hadn’t seen in anyone’s eyes in quite a while. 

“You love me?” She asked, almost inaudibly.

Giles smiled, lifting his hand to her cheek and stroking her skin with his thumb. He didn’t answer her, not because he didn’t want to – but because he was nearly certain that she didn’t realise she had asked that question aloud. Instead, he bent his head and captured her lips again. 

He felt her nails lightly scratch his skin on his lower back, just above the waistband of his trousers. There was no way that she could have known that was one of his ‘spots’. A spot that would turn him on with just a touch…a scratch of nails over that spot was blissful agony. He groaned and moved his mouth to her neck, nipping and sucking at her skin as he slid his hands to her shoulders. 

He lightly fingered the straps of her dress before slowly pushing them down, sliding the dress down her body with a precision that shouldn’t have surprised her. But, it did. Everything was surprising her at the moment and she had never felt this warm. His mouth moved to the crook of her neck as she carefully stepped out of the dress puddled around her feet. She whispered his name, sliding her hand to the back of his head as his hands rested on her hips.

When his mouth moved along her collarbone, she reached between them and gently lowered the zipper of his trousers. He groaned against her skin as her fingers glided over his erection.

“Giles?”

“Mm?” He murmured, sliding her bra strap over her shoulder.

“Can we move this to the bed?” 

His fingers twitched against her hip, he raised his head and looked into her eyes. “Yes.”

She took a step away from him, smiling as his eyes roamed over her body. She backed her way towards the bed, reaching behind her and unhooking her bra. He took a step towards her as she removed the garment and dropped it to the floor.

He pushed his trousers down, removing them and his socks at the same time. Though he was still wearing his boxers, his erection was clearly visible. She briefly wondered how uncomfortable that actually was. 

And then he was right there in front of her, gently nudging her onto the bed. As she stretched out across the bed, he reached out and gently stroked her abdomen. When he felt her muscles quiver under his touch, he smiled and moved onto the bed with her. 

This was the point when every other guy she’d ever been with had just jumped right in…hands everywhere at once, mouths on her breasts, hips grinding against her. But, not Giles – and she wasn’t sure if she was surprised and grateful or surprised and impatient. He was seemingly content to just lay here with her, kissing her with his hand splayed out across her skin…his thumb absently rubbing small circles near her navel.

Their first kiss was a month earlier – a tentative, soft kiss that she had initiated when he had given her a very heartfelt apology for leaving a year earlier. Their second kiss was ten minutes later – after a discussion about their previous kiss and the admission that he wanted to kiss _her_. And so he had. It was not a tentative, soft kiss. It was a kiss full of intent and passion and longing. 

And it had set her on fire.

The fire had been building for a month with each kiss they shared. She had been dangerously close to ripping off his clothes more than once, but something had always stopped them – a phone call, an argument between the potentials, someone coming home unexpectedly, a vampire showing up on patrol. They’d never been properly alone…had never had the opportunity – and he had never asked her back to his hotel room.

She pulled from the kiss and rolled onto her side, facing him. He smiled softly, his hand shifting to her side…his thumb still rubbing small circles against her skin. 

“What is it?”

“How come you’ve never asked me to come here?”

“Because I didn’t want it to be about sex.” He answered with no hesitation. “You deserve more than sex, Buffy. And if I had asked you to come, we would have fallen into bed together far too soon.”

“But, you’ve thought about it?”

“Oh, yes.” His fingers toyed with the lace edge of her underwear. “A couple of times it took all of my willpower to stop.”

“Please tell me that one of those times was when you were helping me look for a ricer in the basement…”

He grinned and leaned into her, brushing his lips across hers. “I wasn’t sure I had enough willpower that day.”

“I want you, Giles.” She whispered suddenly, desire heavy in her tone.

“I’m yours.” He replied sincerely, staring into her eyes.

She kissed him in response, pushing him onto his back and following him over until she was straddling his hips. He groaned into her mouth as she rubbed over his cock. His hands grabbed her hips, fingers curling under the waistband of her underwear. 

She broke the kiss, placing her hands on his chest to push herself up. She glanced down and smiled, running her fingers along the elastic band of his boxers.

“These need to come off.” 

“Mm…as do yours.” He answered with a smile of his own. 

She moved off of him long enough for both of them to get rid of the last remaining pieces of clothing. She started to climb back on top of him, but paused…instead, taking the time to curl her fingers around the thickened shaft of his erection. She glanced at his face when he inhaled sharply.

His eyes had darkened to a shade of green that she didn’t even know existed. She watched him swallow hard as she stroked him. 

“There are things I want to do.” She whispered, rubbing her thumb through the fluid appearing at the head. 

“Hm?” He mumbled, licking his lips as she lifted her thumb to her mouth. “Jesus…”

She lowered her head, running her tongue up the length of his shaft before pulling the head into her mouth. She looked up at him as she gently sucked for a few seconds before lifting her head and allowing his cock to slip from between her lips.

“I want to suck you off, but…”

“Not right now.” He finished for her, his voice gravelled and thick with desire.

She smiled and placed a kiss on the glans before moving up his body to kiss his mouth. 

“Not right now.” She agreed with a whisper before covering his mouth with hers.

He pulled her back on top of him as their tongues thrusted against one another. He guided her hips in a slow rhythm, a groan rumbling in his chest as she rubbed along the shaft of his cock. And then his left hand finally found her breast, her achingly hard nipple held between his thumb and index finger for a moment before he squeezed lightly.

She bucked her hips at the contact and broke the kiss to offer a low moan. He smiled, tilting his head to capture her nipple with his lips. She gasped as he flicked his tongue over the sensitive nub before sucking hard. She cried out his name as she came suddenly, her warm fluids bathing his cock.

He moved to her other nipple, giving it the same treatment…bathing it with his tongue before sucking and nipping it. She trembled above him, whimpering his name. He released her nipple and met her eyes, lifting his left hand to stroke her cheek.

“Please tell me you have condoms.” She whispered. “Because I don’t and I just thought about them and – ”

“In the drawer of the bedside table.” He interrupted with a smile.

“Do I want to know why you have them?” She asked, reaching over and jerking the drawer open. As she pulled out the unopened box, she looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“I was hopeful this is where we were heading.” He replied, resting his hands on her thighs as she opened the box and pulled out a foil packet.

She tossed the box back onto the table and sat back on her heels, tearing the packet open as she met his eyes. “Preparation, preparation, preparation…”

Giles chuckled, holding her gaze. “Indeed.”

She carefully rolled the condom onto his erection, biting her bottom lip as his fingers flexed against her thighs. “Can we do other things later?”

“Yes.” He murmured, then his brow furrowed slightly. “What kind of things?”

“Touching…tasting…more foreplay stuff?”

“Ah…” His brow relaxed as his eyes brightened with a smile. “Yes, most definitely.”

“Good, ‘cause I really want to…but, I really want you inside of me right now.” She lightly stroked him as she spoke, squeezing gently as he squirmed underneath her. “You’re good with that, right?”

He nodded, sliding his hands to her hips and pulling her forward. “How do you want this?”

When she paused and stared at him, he held her still. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just trying to remember if anyone has ever asked me that.” She replied, shrugging a shoulder. “Of course, I’m not sure I’ve ever engaged in actual conversation at this point.”

He chuckled softly and pulled her down for a kiss. Their kiss was long and slow, continuing even as he rolled them until she was on her back underneath him. When she reached between them and positioned his cock at her entrance, he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.

“Yes?”

“Yes.” She replied, nearly breathless with anticipation. “Yes…”

He pushed his hips forward, slowly entering her. When he was fully embedded within her, he paused and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She took hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together and smiled up at him. 

He pressed the back of her hand against the mattress as he began to move. His strokes were slow, but deep…rhythmic and warm. She matched his rhythm seemingly effortlessly, arching her hips towards his as she rested her knees against his sides. He felt her lips on his shoulder, her teeth grazing his skin as her mouth moved along his collarbone towards his neck.

She paused at the slight bump in the bone, the evidence of a broken clavicle from many years earlier. He inhaled sharply as she sucked hard before continuing on her path…and then she found her destination – the spot at the base of his neck, directly under his ear. She smiled inwardly as he groaned and then cursed softly.

“Ah, fuck…Buffy…” His fingers tightened around hers. “Harder…”

She bit his skin and was rewarded with a low growl and a harder thrust of his hips. The harder she bit, the harder he thrust – the harder he thrust, the quicker he pushed her towards orgasm. Just as he felt her inner walls begin to quiver, she let go of his skin. He released her hand and pushed himself up, looking down at her.

He smiled as he knelt between her thighs, his hands moving to her hips…his gaze dropping to her breasts, bouncing in time with their movements. Her hands gripped his forearms as her legs curled around him, her heels pressing against the back of his thighs. 

As her quivers began to turn to ripples, he gripped her tighter and pushed harder against her…with her…into her. And then she cried out his name and he felt the warmth of her fluids through the thin barrier of the condom. He lowered his upper body to hers, pressing warm open-mouthed kisses along her jaw before kissing her lips. She returned his kiss, placing her hands on his chest. Her fingers twitched against his skin as his thrusts continued, but at a slower pace.

In a move that caught him by surprise, she pushed him up and onto his back. She grinned down at him as she followed him over.

“This okay with you?”

He smiled lazily up at her, his hands cupping her backside as she rolled her hips against him. “Oh, yes…”

She moved with purpose…that purpose pushing him towards his own orgasm as she felt her second building quickly. His fingers gripped the firm flesh of her ass as she rode him, her moans and groans echoed by his. His eyes closed as he moved with her, she watched a bead of sweat roll down his neck.

“Giles…”

He forced his eyes open and looked up at her. She moaned at the intensity in his dark green eyes and then placed a trembling hand on his chest, directly over his heart. 

“I’m close…” He mumbled. “So close…”

“Me too.” She replied, gasping as he moved his left hand and pressed his thumb against her clit. “Fuck!”

He licked his lips, rubbing the sensitive nub as she began to quiver around him again. “I’m going to come with you this time.”

She nodded wordlessly, biting her bottom lip as he pushed her closer. He opened his mouth to say something…to tell her she was beautiful or that he loved her…but, what came out was a loud groan as he came forcefully, triggering her orgasm as well.

She fell forward onto his chest and he arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly against him. “Holy fuck…”

He smiled, but couldn’t find the words he wanted to say. Instead, he kissed her and rolled their bodies onto their sides. He groaned as his softening cock slipped from her…she whimpered at the loss. She kissing his throat before nuzzling his chest.

They laid like that for ages, until their breathing calmed and he needed to dispose of the condom. She reluctantly let him go…sighing softly as she watched him go into the bathroom. He wasn’t gone long and she smiled as he came back and slipped into bed next to her. 

“Giles?”

“Hm?” He murmured, pulling the sheet and blanket up over their bodies.

“You should probably know that I love you.”

He looked at her in surprise, resting his hand on her hip. 

“I shouldn’t have said, should I?” She whispered, her smile fading and being replaced by a look of concern.

“I…wasn’t expecting you to say it.” He replied quickly. “I know that you have…issues…with that word.”

“But, you know?” Her brow furrowed slightly. “How?”

He tenderly brushed the hair back from her face and smiled warmly. “I saw it in your eyes as we made love…as clearly as I’m sure you saw it in mine. You saw it, yes?”

She nodded slowly, her eyes glistening. “What are we supposed to do?”

“Right now, we sleep. When we wake up, we’ll talk…we’ll figure it out.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek and sighed. “But, I don’t want to hide my love for you anymore. I want to be with you…if that’s not something you’re comfortable with, you’ll need to be honest with me.”

“I’ll need to get a bigger bed.” She said after a moment. 

“Hm?”

“A queen should fit in my room.” She continued, he fingers lightly stroking the hair on his chest. “That’ll be big enough for us, wouldn’t it?”

His eyes sparkled. “Are you asking me to stay with you?”

“Well, yeah. Because I don’t want to hide either and we can’t stay here – we need to be at the house. I mean, we can stay here tonight, but…I want you with me, Giles.”

He looked at her for a moment and then nodded. “Then we’ll make it work.”

“What do we do? I mean…how do we – ”

He interrupted her with a kiss, sighing softly as he ran his fingers through her hair. “We’ll make it work, Buffy. We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

She looked into his eyes and a small smile played on her lips. “But, after we sleep, huh? Because…you look pretty tired.”

“Mm. So do you.” He said, brushing his lips over her forehead before rolling onto his back.

She stifled her yawn as she draped her body over his, resting her head on his chest. “I could listen to your heartbeat forever.”

“I love you.” He whispered, lightly stroking her back as he closed his eyes.

She listened to his heartrate change as he fell asleep, his hand coming to a rest on her hip and holding her protectively against him. She lifted her body slightly, just enough to reach over to turn the light off. She chuckled softly when she saw the trail of clothing that led to the bed…and then she remembered that her clothes were wet and should probably be hung up to dry.

As she was debating on the best way to get up without disturbing him, he pulled her back down and murmured one word into her hair.

“Sleep…”

She snuggled against him and closed her eyes. She could deal with a damp dress in the morning.

~ End


End file.
